emily chappell

Photographing Joyful Weddings Since 2013

emily chappell

Photographing Joyful Weddings Since 2013

welcome!

I'm Emily, a Dallas-based wedding photographer and educator! I absolutely love sharing the stories behind recent Dallas wedding photography, my amazing brides and grooms, and some personal and business musings here and there! I hope you enjoy your time on my blog!

find us on

search the blog

Di and Ziming were married just a few weeks ago at Dove Ridge Vineyard in a breathtaking travel themed fall wedding! I could go on about the wedding day itself, but for now I’m taking a trip down memory lane to show off Di and Ziming’s summer picnic inspired White Rock Lake engagement session! This was one of the last engagement sessions of the summer season as the temperatures ramped up WAY too fast for me to comfortably offer any further shoots. (I mean, really – rarely does anyone want to be out sweating in 110 degree heat while trying to look sweet and romantic!) With their October wedding fast approaching, we had to squeeze in Di and Ziming’s session where we could…and to be honest, these two did great and looked as cool as a cucumber!

This sweet couple was a privilege to get in front of my lens – finally! Di and Ziming projected so much of their personalities into their shoot. They love traveling, experiencing life together, and squeezing every last bit out of every day. It absolutely shows in their images! Below I am showcasing just a few of my favorites from Di and Ziming’s summer picnic inspired White Rock Lake engagement session! Enjoy!

Tell us a little about how you first met! Was it love at first sight?

“We met at our common friends housewarming party. It was also the host’s birthday. It was sort of love at first sight for him! He got my number that night and we started texting each other for a week before we went out for our first date.”

How did Ziming propose? Were you shocked? Ziming, were you nervous?

“He planned the entire proposal secretly when I went to a trip to New Zealand with my girlfriends. The weekend after I came back, one of my friends invited me out for a manicure and afternoon tea as an “early birthday celebration”. Little did I know that my friend took me out because Ziming had a big plan! He invited all our close friends over and decorated the house. When I came back and opened the front door, I saw flower petals on the floor and our pictures on the wall. Ziming stood in the family room surrounded by candles arranged in the heart shape and with the “marry me” balloons in the background. Then he asked the question! I was definitely shocked but didn’t hesitate to say “yes”! And yes, he was super nervous!”

How did you choose your wedding venue?

“We first searched around for venues close to where we live, but couldn’t find a place that we like. Eventually we expanded our search and came across Dove Ridge Vineyard. The moment we arrived at the venue we fell in love with the amazing view the venue has to offer. It’s nothing like the rest of north Texas and reminds you of Hill Country. We looked no further.”

With all of the planning, what has you most excited for your big day?

“We are most excited about the reunion with our families and friends to celebrate our big day together. Overall, what the most important for a wedding is the people and their emotions involved.”

What is one funny/cute/endearing thing about one another?

Di: “These are a few notes I took about Ziming after our first date: 1) He’s funny; 2) He knows almost everything about sports; 3) He loves coding! A funny nerd who loves sports? Doesn’t sound too bad! Then on our second date he played me a song on his guitar. That was super sweet!”

Ziming: “One time we were enjoying a Friday night, had dinner together and planned to watch a movie at home. Then all of sudden Di started to hiccup and just can’t stop. It was so cute and funny and I even videotaped the whole thing. I still make fun of her with that video now!”